On Monday, White House spokesperson John Kirby expressed the United States’ apprehension over reports suggesting that Israel utilized white phosphorus munitions supplied by the U.S. in an October attack in southern Lebanon.
“We’ve seen the reports. Certainly concerned about that. We’ll be asking questions to try to learn a little bit more,” Kirby told reporters on Air Force One.
Kirby stated that white phosphorus serves a “legitimate military utility” for illuminating areas and generating smoke to obscure movements, the Jerusalem Post reported.
“Obviously any time that we provide items like white phosphorous to another military, it is with the full expectation that it will be used in keeping with those legitimate purposes … and in keeping with the law of armed conflict,” he said.
The use of white phosphorus is limited under international law due to the potential for spreading fire and smoke to populated areas, the Israel National News reported.
The timing of the delivery of these munitions to Israel is unclear, as a U.S. official reported that no white phosphorus munitions had been supplied since the October 7 Hamas attack.
Written by B.C. Begley
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B.C. Begley 